Right now there are few Standardbred horses as aptly named as Resolve To Win, who has taken four of his last five starts, including the last two featured trots at Pocono Downs after emerging victorious in the $38,732 Winners Over Handicap Trot on Monday, Sept. 21.

An Åke Svanstedt trainee, the 2025 Hambletonian champion Nordic Catcher S, was the morning-line favourite, but the bad luck that has limited that horse to only three starts since that Hambletonian win 415 days ago again plagued him as he was a sick scratch. But Svanstedt still sent out the favourite in Hustle Rain S, beaten only three-quarters of a length by world champion Dame Good Time in his U.S debut two weeks ago. Hustle Rain S went off at 3-5, with Resolve To Win at even money.

Resolve To Win needed most of a :27 first quarter to take command from Hustle Rain S (Matt Kakaley), but driver George Napolitano Jr. was then able to give the leader a helpful slowdown to reach the half in :56.2. The three-quarters came and went in 1:24.4, and still Resolve To Win had no challenge for the lead. Hustle Rain S gave the winner his best shot in the lane but could only get to within a half-length as Resolve To Win wrapped up the victory in 1:52.3. High Speed Swan (Anthony Napolitano) completed the triactor.

Resolve To Win is now 11-for-23 on the season. The six-year-old Resolve-Sensual Hall gelding, trained by Enrico Robinson for Pollack Racing LLC, has won 36 of 110 lifetime starts and earned $724,042. He paid $4 to win.

There were two $22,535 sub-featured conditioned events, one on each gait. George Napolitano Jr. also guided the winner of the trot, the seven-year-old Walner-Take The Money gelding Abruzzo ($5.60), who set all the pace and came home in a :56.1 back half to register an easy 1:53 victory by 3-1/4 lengths. Water Torpedo (Jack Pelling) was second-best, followed by Black Velvet As (Matt Kakaley). The tally, for trainer Marc Mosher and owner P T Stable, was the winner's third in his last four starts. Abruzzo fit the class by using the $42,254 claiming also-eligible option, but he who lives by the tag can be done in by the tag as well; Abruzzo was claimed Monday, but not before earning his connections $11,268 in purse money since they themselves haltered him on Aug. 31.

In the pace, limited to mares, trainer Doug Dilloian sent out the top two finishers, with the four-year-old Jk Endofanera-Whetstone Hanover mare Jk Pearl Stone ($7.20) up on the money over favoured pacesetter Stayingwiththewind (George Napolitano Jr.) in a 1:52.3 mile. Jk Pearl Stone raced second-over as the chalk and first-over Blue Chip Lou N (Tyler Buter) duelled on the far turn. When the Kiwi bore wide nearing headstretch, Jk Pearl Stone’s driver Anthony Napolitano kept his cool in not trying to go wider around the drifter, holding his two-wide position. He waited a couple of seconds to ascertain a clear lane would be available to him, then knifed his mare through to get the nod by a neck in the blanket finish. Imagine Heaven (Braxten Boyd) was third, also a neck back. Jk Pearl Stone is owned by David Linker, Loman Racing LLC and Robert Venable.

Tyler Buter and Anthony Napolitano both drove three winners on the 13-race card. Ridge Warren, Matt Kakaley and George Napolitano Jr. each had two. Marc Mosher was the only doubling trainer.

Tuesday’s 1 p.m. Pocono card will be highlighted by five fields of developing two-year-olds, each racing for $16,000 USD. Saturday (also 1 p.m. post) will mark the 2026 start of the John Simpson Sr. stakes series, with the races in each of the eight divisions named after a horse with whom the namesake was associated in his Hall of Fame career. Saturday’s race is called the Albatross, for three-year-old male pacers, and it will go in three $30,000 USD divisions.

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)